Various conditions exist that may inhibit an individual from moving one or more of their body parts in a normal way. Such orthopaedic conditions may be congenital conditions, or may be caused as a result of injury or misuse. For example, cerebral palsy sufferers often exhibit spastic diplegia of varying degrees of severity, which adversely influences the sufferer's ability to walk normally. Treatment and management regimens for spasticity often include the use of orthoses such as splints or braces for discouraging and/or preventing poor postures and undesirable movement of body parts that may cause pain or develop into to greater disability and deformity. For example, orthoses may be employed to enable a sufferer to sit in a normal position, or to hold a sufferer's limbs in advantageous positions to improve functionality of those limbs and prevent deformities.
Scoliosis, a lateral curvature, often coupled with vertebral rotation, of the spine, is an example of an orthopaedic condition that may be treated by an orthotic device. A typical non-surgical treatment of scoliosis involves the use of a rigid thoracic brace to hold the spine in a preferential position, thereby enabling a wearer to experience improved posture and limb functionality. Typically, treatment involves the wearing of a brace for up to 23 hours in a day. Studies have shown that such treatment may have a positive effect when the brace is worn for the prescribed periods of time. However, compliance with the prescribed treatment regimen may often be poor due to the inconvenience of wearing a rigid brace for long periods of time. Studies have shown that in some cases a brace was only worn 20% of the prescribed time, resulting in the treatment having little effect on prognosis of the scoliosis (Howton et al. 1987 orthopaedic transactions 11: 125-126).
A rigid orthotic device such as a thoracic brace used for treatment of scoliosis, or a rigid ankle-foot orthotic device used to ameliorate the effects of spastic diplegia, only has an effect on the patient whilst the device is being worn. When the device is removed the restricted body part reverts to its undesirable condition.
It is an aim of the invention to provide an improved orthotic device and methods of treatment.